rabbit run wrote:
My opinion on Centro vs. Ryun is this...it is REALLY close.
Ryun was a trailblazer, running incredible times including world records. However, nostalgia blinds people to the fact that
A. There were almost no East Africans on the circuit at the time.
B. Ryun lacked longevity.
C. Ryun lacked championship prowess.
Incredible runner, but imperfect.
Centro is an incredible racer, with 2 gold's, a silver, and a bronze, along with 4th at the Olympics.
However, he lacks blazing times.
I give Centro the nod because he's been arguably America's best miler for at least 7 years.
And just to stir the pot I'd give Ryun the nod as the better miler over Webb.
Let's tackle these arguments one at a time.
1) "There were almost no East Africans on the circuit at the time." This is true. Running was less competitive then than it is now.
2) "Ryun lacked longevity." Ryun ranked in the top 10 in the world 1500 meters 7 times, vs Centrowitz 5 times. So this is false on its face. I think you also have to take into account that one could not make a good living as a professional runner in the 1970s. A lot of runners, like Billy Mills, had relatively short careers for this reason.
3) "Ryun lacked championship prowess." He got a Olympic silver medal at 7000+ feet altitude, which is pretty good. And he fell in the 1972 Olympics. If there were a World Championships in 1967, I'm sure Ryun would have won at least one gold medal, maybe two. He was the #1 runner in the world in both the 800 and 1500 that year. (How many #1 world rankings does Centrowitz have? Zero.)
4) "[Centrowitz] lacks blazing times." This is an understatement. His PRs in the 1500 and mile are not even in the top 100 performances of all time. He is running a half century after Ryun but his mile PR is only half a second better than Ryun's.
I think a lot of young people do not appreciate how dominant Ryun was in his prime. Centrowitz is a skilled tactician, but he has never ranked higher than #5 in the world, has never won a Grand Prix meet. I mean this is not even a close call.